Month: March 2017

I’ve grown up in a world where my parents expect me to know how to fix every technological issue they may be having and where new or improved technology is being put out every single day. In most cases, these technological advances are way ahead of their time. In order for these advances to be successful, there needs to be trust—trust in the company, the brand, the investment, and yes, even the government.

Whether you’re a George Orwell fan or you have always been slightly apprehensive about technology, chances are you have heard the saying ‘Big Brother is watching’; meaning the government is watching your every move and I suggest that they are able to do this through technology.

Mike Beebe, CEO of Mayfield Robotics, has created a robot that acts as a companion and a home security device that is set to be released at the end of 2017. Beebe has given this robot not only a name (Kuri) but also a personality in which it is easy to love and trust. At first meet, Kuri will roam around your house memorizing the layout and design. The camera located in both eyes records videos and sends them to an application on your phone, allowing you to watch these videos when you are away. Kuri will learn to detect your face and tone to better allow her to understand your needs. She also will learn when things are out of place and will alert you of so.

Wow.

To some, Kuri may seem like a life saver or even an extra set of hands (though she doesn’t actually have arms). To others, like myself, Kuri just sounds like one big red flag.

I am all for technological advances; however, with a simple software malfunction or a slip up in programming, we could have a disaster. Imagine how horrifying it would be to find out that the software has in fact been hacked and now someone on the other side of the world (or your neighbor) now has access to you house blue prints, knowns when you leave and come home for work, knows where you keep your valuables, how many kids you have, and has visual access to your most vulnerable moments.

Maybe I am just paranoid. After all, I don’t have my credit card numbers saved to Apple Pay or on Google for this specific reason. I would rather take the 60 seconds to re-enter my credit card information every time I make a purchase than risk my credit card information being stolen. Hacking is alive and well today. If Sony, number 10 largest information technology company, can get hacked, so can a fairly new Vegas based robotic company.

“Nothing is wrong with me” my mom would say; though, I knew she was suffering. I watched my mom battle undiagnosed multiple personality disorder and depression for years. I say undiagnosed because she never went to the doctor.. she was always fine.

Until one day she wasn’t.

On the evening of August 13, 2016, I lost my mother to a mental illness. To this day I have so many questions. Why didn’t she talk to me? Was she scared? What could I have done differently? The only answer I’ll ever get is that she was sick. My mother was in an unimaginable amount of pain; a pain that I never want anyone else to feel.

It all starts with campaigns such as EburgSpeaks.

Two weeks ago there was an announcement made in my class. Hearing this announcement sent chills down my back. Though 450 million people suffer from a diagnosed mental illness, society still considers it to be a taboo to talk about. It should not be considered taboo to talk about. While some mental illnesses can be effectively treated, at relatively low cost, the starting point towards recovery is talking. For Mental Health Awareness Week a campaign was launched called ‘Eburg Speaks’ to change the way we talk about mental health. Every day throughout the week there was an event held on campus that would help raise awareness for mental health throughout the community.

An event that I attended was all about what made you feel good. Students were able to come up to a board and write what they did to take care of themselves. The board was full of words like; ‘laughter’, ‘smiling’ and ‘friendships’. That had me walk away with a genuinely good feeling.

My mothers biggest demon was feeling alone. Though she was surrounded by family, friends, love, and support, my mother still felt alone. It was her depression that made her feel alone. I can’t help but think; what if my mom had been apart of a campaign like EburgSpeaks while in college? Would knowing that she wasn’t the only one feeling the way she did feel give her the encouragement to get the help she needed? If one person struggling with a mental illness saw this campaign going on around campus and it made them feel less “crazy”, it would all be worth it.

There is a huge generation gap between me and my mother. She comes from a generation that doesn’t allow talking about one’s feelings; whereas, my generation is an open book. Millennials have been taught to embrace everyone’s differences and whether they be your highest attributes or your deepest demons. Let’s use it to our advantage and keep the conversation of mental health going.